A suburban family is celebrating after their father is back home after being held in custody by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for weeks.

In an act where most don't get to witness people being released from ICE custody, attorneys representing immigrants called his release rare. Nonetheless, it was important to Louis Mejia and his family to share his experience.

"I'm gonna see my mom, my dad, my daughter, my brother, everybody, man, everybody," he said. "It's gonna take it's gonna take me a while to you know, like be me again."

A moment two months in the making. Meija saw his family for the first time since being taken into ICE custody.

"I was scared, I was scared. I was really scared," Meija said.

Standing with a plastic bag filled with his belongings, Mejia saw his family again. There were lots of tears and a holiday meal waiting for him.

"To stay strong, believe in God, and man just hold be strong," he said.

On Nov. 3, Meija was with his son on the way to work when he was taken into ICE custody. 

He missed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.

"They never showed me a warrant, arrest, or something," he said.  

He was then taken to the Broadview ICE facility. He described the inside like a warzone and still can remember what he experienced.

"I still hear voices and doors locking and, you know, people screaming," he said.

He says three days later, he was brought on a bus with about 20 people to the North Lake processing center in Michigan, leaving his family behind.   

"They're doing their job. I do understand, but these is normal, regular people that you know they're working for everyday life," Meija said.

About two months later, he won a habeas petition and was released on a $12,000 bond. That same family he built pooled their resources together to pay it.  His nephew picked him up.

Meija remained optimistic about what happened to him, while others wouldn't. He and his family said the experience made them stronger together.

"Yeah, yeah, like I said I'm positive person. I'm real positive if I was there for a reason, I took it as a positive thing," he said.

Meija arrived in the U.S. back in 1993 from Mexico. He said his father brought him here.

His immigration case is still pending, and he said he'll still keep fighting for permanent status.